


Xefros: Divert Attention

by botgal



Category: Hiveswap, Homestuck
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, F/M, Jealousy, Pale Flirting, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Sort Of, more of Joey's adventures in goofing quadrants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 06:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12205749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/botgal/pseuds/botgal
Summary: Joey is approached by a Purple Blood while waiting for Xefros to return with the snacks.Xefros... isn't sure how he feels about this.





	Xefros: Divert Attention

“Gosh, I'm so hungry.” Joey slumped back against the wall on her train bench. After a long day of travel where they ended up sleeping on the train like other passengers (they were fortunate enough the Rust car wasn't so packed that they could sleep on a bench, both of the children were hungry and thirsty. The lusii were already taken care of, lounging in the lusus car after they had given them some water and lusus appropriate food. But now the two of them needed to take care of themselves. “I feel like my mouth is all cottony and gross.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I could use something to drink, too,” Xefros agreed. This terminal was only the halfway point for the train on a small island. So they still had a ways to go, too. Other Trolls were milling about either their respective cars or the platform until it was time for the train to go again. Xefros stood up and peered out the window of the train, and let out a happy sound when he saw a snackfood dispensary machine against the wall, next to one that sold drinks.

“What is it, Xefros?” Joey asked. Her alien friend pointed out at the machine.

“There's a snackfood dispensary out there. I can go buy us something to eat there.” He had enough money on hand they could do that without worry. “... I mean, if you want me to.” Was this being too pale? Wanting to buy her food? No, no. This was normal _normal_ friend stuff. He was just being too weird and thinking into it too hard because of... all that happened when they boarded the train that one time.

“No, no. That sounds fine,” Joey reassured him quickly. “I could go for something to eat. I'm so hungry I could eat a bug... But, uh... if there's anything with, you know, _not_ bugs to eat... I think I'd rather have that?”

“Oh, um, sure. That's- that's no problem at all,” Xefros stuttered. “That's, um... I'll go look and be right back.”

“Okay then. Come back soon.”

Xefros made his way briskly out of the car, taking in a deep breath of the ocean air from the small island the train was on. Slipping past numerous other Trolls until he got where he was going. After scanning the labels on the different packages of snackfoods for something that might suit Joey's tastes, he settled on the crispified ground tuber slices, some cookies, and a small package of candy grubs for himself (they weren't actual grubs, but he figured he could treat himself this one time considering he needed a bit of comfort food, and hey, Joey might like one if she looked past how it looked like a grub).

After snagging a few bottles of drink from the machine next to it, he prepared to head back, but then caught sight of a hot drink vending machine. There was a moment of hesitation, but he relented himself with a sigh. He didn't really care for hot drinks from machines, but he figured he could use something to pick up his energy and replenish some of his psychic stamina for the road ahead. Especially since the drink machine had been out of grub juice.

Having stored away his purchases, he bought himself a cup. The only thing a Burgundy like him could purchase from this machine without getting in trouble was percolated black caffeine bean drink, and it was barely lukewarm, but he'd take it. At least he didn't have to wait until it reduced in temperature from scalding so he'd be able to take a sip, as was the only other option that usually occurred.

He started sipping from the drink as he made his way back to the train, but stopped and nearly choked when he caught a glance through a window.

While the segregation was said to be strict, it only really applied to anyone of a lower caste trying to go somewhere of a higher caste. Which meant that anyone above could go to where anyone below would usually be resigned to staying and no one would bat an eye save for the Trolls of that caste who would usually range from uncomfortable to terrified.

Which was why he nearly felt his heart stop when he caught a glimpse of a tall, lanky Purple Blood currently seated next to Joey in the Rust car.

Almost on instinct he froze up at the sight of someone so high on the spectrum. Oh god, why was that Purple there why were they talking to Joey what if they saw under her hood or her paint was smeared oh no no no no no!!!

The odd thing was, though, the Purple didn't really even seem aggressive. They seemed pretty calm, actually. Joey was looking nervous and pulling at the hood of her hoodie, but not necessarily scared. So no big aggression. Xefros tried to subtly peer closer through the window, to not be noticed by the Purple or anyone else on the platform. No threatening moves, or anything that indicated that Joey was scared of anything but revealing her identity as an alien. So what was...

The Purple seemed to smile a lopsided grin and leaned forward as if making a point. One hand held at ease and pointed up, the other with all but two fingers curled towards their palm, the remaining two held out as if to make a 'V'.

Xefros hardly even noticed as his fingers clamped shut and his barely warm drink spilled out over his hand from his now destroyed cup.

Oh god the Purple was flirting with her.

Oh _god_ the Purple was  _pale_ flirting with her.

One palm up to signify lack of aggression. Fingers spread in a V that would signify half of a diamond. All the neutral body language.

This was so much classic pale flirting he was surprised these cheesy moves were happening anywhere but some wiggler's first romance movie.

He hardly realized his feet were moving before he was back in the train car and standing right in front of Joey and the Purple Blood.

“-and then I thought, well, screw that, you know? My buddy thought that was kinda gross, but I thought, yo, that there is a free spirit, don't care what no one thinks. And I just thought, maaaan, that shit is super tight...” The Purple seemed to take note of Xefros after a good minute of rambling, and gave him a lazy side-eye that still managed to be intimidating. “... Somethin' I can help you with, little invertebrother?” Joey looked up a bit, and the amount of relief on her face when she saw him was enormous. Xefros swallowed nervously and pointed shakily at the bench with his still caffeine juice soaked hand.

“I... I, um.... That's uh... kind of my seat, right there. And so...” His teeth were nearly chattering he was so scared, but the Purple seemed more calmly annoyed than actually perturbed, thankfully.

“Train ain't staring up for a bit still, lil' bro. Sure you can loan it to me a bit longer while I talk to this chica here.”

“W-well, you see,” Xefros shook, “I- well, uh... the thing about- the thing about that is....” Xefros was shaking like a leaf in the wind, the Purple looking on expectantly.

“Oh! Xefros, there you are!” Both Xefros and the Purple started when Joey spoke up so loudly and so suddenly, jumping up off the seat and grabbing Xefros by the hand. “I was wondering if something was keeping you. Shouldn't make me so worried like that, you big silly!” Now that her head was turned, the Purple couldn't see what little of her face he could see to begin with, so only Xefros was privy to the way she looked so nervous and didn't match her chipper tone of voice she was projecting. The Purple looked between them and cocked an eyebrow.

“You know this invertebrother, chica?” he drawled.

“Uh, yeah! I do!” Joey tried to keep her tone light and easygoing. “I was just waiting for him to come back, but, you know, didn't want to interrupt you talking, so...”

“... So, like, the two of you... together?” He held up his fingers in that V again, moving those fingers against each other and apart a couple of times like a two bladed paper cutting tool, as if to emphasize the meaning of the symbol.

“Yep! Yeah. We're together. Here. On this train. Together. Traveling. Together. Traveling together. Totally traveling and together here!” She chattered on nervously. All while Xefros' face filled up with color. The Purple cocked an incredulous eyebrow at her, but before any sound could come out of his opening mouth, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train would be departing soon, and for all passengers to return to their assigned cars.

“... Welp, guess I'd best be getting on back to my buds. You take care of yourself, chica. Maybe I'll be seein' ya.” The Purple stood up and lumbered on out of the Rust car, presumably back to where the Purples resided. The moment he was gone, Joey and Xefros sighed almost simultaneously with relief.

“Oh my gosh, that was so scary,” Joey gasped with relief, flopping backwards onto the train bench with a look of relief on her face. Xefros nodded with agreement, finally wiping his still damp hand on his shirt. Odd, he seemed to have forgotten about that being there in the moment. “That guy came in here, said something about seeing me on the train platform when we took off from the first station. I didn't know what he wanted and I was too nervous to really listen after that.... I'm just glad you came in when you did, Xefros. I was afraid he was going to figure out about, well, _me_ , you know.” She refrained from mentioning her status as an alien as a few Burgundies were filing back into the train car. “I don't even know what he wanted from me. I'm just glad he's gone.”

“Um, well, the thing is...” Joey looked at Xefros with confusion, wondering what he was about to say. “He, um... he was sort of... flirting with you... pale flirting.” Joey's eyes went wide as dinner plates. Understandable, perhaps, considering she hadn't understood the implications of the flirting gestures, being an alien and all. Xefros started to blush deeply again, and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “And you, um... okay you didn't know, but... when you told him that we were, uh... _together_ , you sort of... sort of told him that I... was your moirail.”

Joey's face went through a sudden massive change of expressions from wide eyes, to squinted and disbelieving, to part open and then clamped tight shut mouth. Until finally she was just flat blushing.

“Oh no... _Oh nooo_ ,” she groaned, pushing her palms into her cheek. “Oh my god, Xefros, I am _so_ sorry! I didn't realize-! And with him talking! And I didn't know what he was doing. And the other platform I- Oh my god I had no idea! Why do I keep doing these big breaches of weird dating etiquette I feel so _dumb!_!!”

Xefros tried to make calming motions to her, face still burning with blush.

“I mean, no, it's okay! You didn't know!”

“But that's like the _second_ time!” She pointed out shrilly. “I feel so embarrassed I'm so sorry, Xefros.”

“No, it's okay, really!” He reassured her. He cleared his throat and fished into his things until he pulled out a bottle of water and a bag of the tubers. “We can just, um... have a snack and forget the whole thing, okay? It's... it's no harm done.” Joey looked conflicted, but then let out a sigh and weakly smiled at him.

“Yeah, I... I guess you're right. No harm no foul, right?” she chuckled.

After a bit more nervous laughter, the two of them broke open a few of the snacks and drinks Xefros had bought, snacking away as the train started moving again. Joey even tried a couple of Xefros's candy grubs, and liked them (she said something about a similar candy called 'gummy worms' on Earth). The snacks were good, and things were fine.

And there was, on no terms, any mentions of either of them blushing even the tiniest bit if their fingers happened to touch while reaching for another bite of a snack.

 


End file.
